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Pregnant or Pre-menopause at 43

Here's my problem...periods totally out of whack, 43 years old, and gaining weight rapidly. My sex drive is off the charts, too. When I was pregnant at 37, I didn't have these issues or problems. I realize that every pregnancy is different but at my age, I'm not sure what the problem is. I will take a preg test in a few days to see if I am. My doctor says that I am a healthy 43 year old woman.

Don't know which it is till you take the test. My grandma had my mother at 38 and she didn't even know she was pregnant with her till she was 6 months along. Doctors kept telling her that it was pre-menopause. My grandma believed it because she didn't get pregnant for almost 3 years and she never used birth control. Which one are you hoping for? I hope you get what you want. GL

I started having all those symptoms at your age.. Maybe a year or two earlier. I'll be 47 in Oct.. And guess what.. Not pregnancy. It's been that joyous thing they like to call "Perimenopause"... Oh yes...

If it is perimenopause watch out for: night sweats, hot flashes, your skin may get drier, your hair may start thinning, ebs can happen, food cravings, piddling when you cough/sneeze/laugh to hard, tender/sore breast, acne,.. and a few more lovely symptoms that I can't even remember right now.. I think the list my doctor gave me had around 30 symptoms on it.. LOL

If it is perimenopause.. My best advice to you is.. Just accept it and roll with it.... Eat a healthy diet, exercise regular, take vitamins (daily multi is ok, if you eat a healthy diet full of fresh fruits & vegies) and minerals like calcium/fish oil. These things help curb the symptoms and make them easier to deal with.

Why are you waiting a few days to test? Just curious, I'd be dying wanting to know for sure. I had a surprise pregnancy at 41 & again at 42. Either could be the case for you but you won't know for sure until you test.

If you want to double check everything.. Don't just take a pregnancy test.. Make an appointment and have your doctor run a hormone check for perimenopause.. Now. Those checks are 100% conclusive, because if it is perimenopause, your hormones will be in total flux (much like a teenager in the midst of puberty) so it's really hard to get a good idea with just one set of test. If you doctor feels that you are hitting perimenopause or getting close, they may want to run the test 2-3 times over a span of a few months in order to try and get a clearer picture of what's going on..

I do hope it's pregnancy instead of PM though.. Because once you hit PM it can very well become even more difficult to conceive because of all the fluxes...

I will post the test results on Monday. My hubby and I will be happy either way. And middle age isn't so bad. My hubby still thinks I'm hot and loves me no matter what. Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it.